Chris Murphy January 27, 2019 Scripture: Luke 3: 1-20 Sermon Title: Prepare the Way of the Lord

Prayer…

Introduction-

Prepare ye the way of the Lord….

Do you remember that song? Can you tell that I am a child of the 1970’s? That is from the musical, , which came out in 1970 on Broadway and then in 1973 as a movie. Godspell is the story of the life and ministry of - The or Good News of Jesus.

In the musical, the song “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord” is sung by . The calling of John was to prepare the way of the Lord.

Story of John the Baptist- Overview of birth to Zechariah and Elizabeth, Born prior to Jesus, but they are cousins.

Sent into the wilderness, wore camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey. Kind of wild.

The Message of John- Proclaimed a Baptism of for the forgiveness of sins

Isaiah 40:3- A voice cries out in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth: and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” It is a hopeful message of the coming of the Jesus

1

Malachi 4.5- John came in the spirit of Elijah

Also, a strong message calling people to repent

You brood of vipers. Bear fruit worthy of repentance.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into fire.

People asked John…

What should we do? His answer- Whoever has two coats, share with one who has none. Share your food with others- Care for the vulnerable.

Tax Collectors- Collect no more than the amount prescribed to you- Don’t take advantage of others. Don’t seek riches.

Soldiers- Don’t extort money from anyone by threats- don’t oppress people around you. Don’t complain about your paycheck or steal money from others.

Good news- the one coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Jesus Relationship with John- Jesus said he was the greatest human being. Jesus Testifies about John- Matthew 11. He calls John a prophet, but even more than a prophet because of his call to prepare the way for the Messiah.

Matthew 11: 18-19- Jesus compares himself with John.

“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and of sinners!

Why was he sent to prepare the way?

Connection to Martin Luther King Jr. – Point to Jesus not himself.

2

Prepare the Way of the Lord:

Call People to Repent and Receive Forgiveness

• Confess your personal sin to God • Our Neglect of the needy around us. • Anything we do as individuals that oppresses the poor or vulnerable.

This enables our hearts to be prepared for Jesus to be Lord of our lives and to guide us. Repentance and Forgiveness are God’s gift to us. The gift of grace. I love that we do the prayer of confession every Sunday.

As a Community

• Especially in this time as we remember the life of Martin Luther King Jr. we are invited to repent for the structural sin in our society of racism. For those who are white, we need to understand our white privilege and the importance of becoming anti-racist. • Hope and Act for a world of greater inclusion and equality or people of all ethnicities.

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Monday. Grateful for the event at Chehalem Cultural Center. Sign of where God is taking us as a community in Newberg. Five highlights for me from that event.

• Lionel Muthia honored Mayor Bob Andrews for his leadership to the city and his role in helping to begin the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration 8 years ago. • Young People participated in the event. (Children at Edwards Elementary demonstrated how to do a peaceful protest, Newberg Highschool choir

3

sang and led us in We Shall Overcome, ethnically diverse young leaders were involved in sharing their gifts at this event. Bryce Coefield, Assistant Director of Multi-cultural Engagement was the MC for the event and did a great job. • Miles K. Davis, President of Linfield College encouraged us with a Message of Hope, reminding us to do more than Dream in order to follow the example of Martin Luther King Jr.- To put actions to our dream. • Mayor Rick Rogers invited us to think of words to reflect what we want Newberg to be. He suggested a place know for being friendly and inclusive.

What will prepare the way for Jesus to do what he wants to do in Newberg in 2019?

I suggest a heart of repentance for ways we sometimes fail to care for the vulnerable and a heart of action to work for racial justice and greater inclusion in this city.

As we get ready to talk about our mission at our church during today’s Annual Meeting, I want to remind us to Prepare the Way of the Lord in Newberg by working with other churches to communicate the good news of God’s forgiveness and the heart of Jesus for the oppressed.

There is a movement of the Holy Spirit in Newberg in 2019 and our church gets to be a part of this movement.

Please pray with me…

4